


Place Your Bets

by theianitor



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bets & Wagers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:26:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7867885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's important to have someone - or something - that motivates you in your university studies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Place Your Bets

**Author's Note:**

> More and more Kimando popping up these days! This is much "nicer" than it could be, considering those two... rated M just for safety's sake.

Fernando lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His body was exhausted but his mind was running a marathon. He liked things that made sense, solid plans, rational and reasonable events. This was not rational. It was probably the furthest thing from rational he could imagine.

“I can hear you thinking.” The voice was already thick with sleep, the words spoken halfway into the pillow. Fernando didn’t say anything, but glanced over at the other man. If he had had the energy he would have gone back to his room. At least that was what he told himself. Everything felt very complicated.

 

\--

 

Coming back to England was a cold and soggy experience. Fernando should have changed before getting on the flight but Spain had been so nice and warm he had simply forgotten that an English autumn was a vastly different story. Wet and chilled he arrived back at university to find his application for housing had gone the way of his luggage and was nowhere to be found.

“I have to live somewhere!”

It took the student office roughly two hours to find him a bed – a student that had been signed to a shared apartment had decided to not take it after all, and he could move in on short notice. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but it was better than a park bench.

 

\--

 

The apartment was small with two tiny bedrooms. The kitchen, bathroom, and ‘general areas’ were shared spaces, which would probably have been fine if he hadn’t had to share it with the surliest and least forthcoming person he had ever met. Kimi had been in the apartment for a year already and didn’t seem too keen on sharing. Then again, he didn’t really seem keen on anything. Fernando kept trying to start up conversations only for Kimi to kill them with silence or give answers that were so final that there was nothing to build on. He thought he had been placed with his opposite; unfriendly, brooding, blonde, cold Kimi was nothing like him.

 

It soon became evident that whatever their differences, they had matching competitive-streaks. Kimi was majoring in mechanical engineering too, so they shared a lot of subjects – it was a given that they would start comparing grades. Incidentally they also had some of the same electives. The competition started innocently enough, with Fernando announcing he was going to take one of the shorter classes, an introduction to academic writing.

“I took that last term.” Kimi still mostly spoke in what Fernando felt were half sentences.

“It was hard? What was your grade?”

“B.”

“So is easy then?” Fernando mocked. At his words, Kimi’s eyes flashed.

“If you get a higher grade I will do all the dishes for a week.”

“If my grade is lower, I take dishes _and_ laundry.” Fernando countered confidently. They shook hands, and Fernando thought he’d never worked so hard for a course he technically didn’t need. It was worth it when the exam came back a couple of weeks later with an A on it.

 

\--

 

The bar was raised slowly. They bet chores with each other and the results of assignments, exams, and essays decided the outcome. There were never any other participants in their little game, and any forfeits were done gracefully enough. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, shopping... any chores were up for bet. They lost and won almost equally. A particularly grueling assignment for the horribly picky Professor Wolff made Kimi suggest a couple of drinks at the Union that weekend as the bet. Fernando was sure enough he would win that he suggested the loser pay for drinks for the night.

Kimi won. His B+ beat Fernando’s B, and he was uncharacteristically verbal and gleeful as he let anyone who would listen know that his flatmate had lost a bet and was paying for his drinks. Fernando was offered many condolences... and then realized Kimi was expecting him to drink _with_ him.

For Fernando’s wallet’s sake, it was probably a good thing he was quite a lightweight. Kimi took pity on him fairly early and managed to get them both home mostly unharmed.

 

Fernando woke up the next day on his bed, still fully clothed and wearing one shoe. He felt horrible.

“Morning,” Kimi said much too happily when Fernando finally ventured outside of his own room. “Horner has sent the grades for his essay.”

Fernando gave him a grunt and disappeared into the bathroom. He couldn’t care less. Horner was a nice enough teacher, but his habit of sending results in a compiled list to the entire class was a bit annoying. When he came back out, Kimi was still sitting by his laptop.

“You look like shit.”

Fernando grunted again and filled a glass with water. He had never known tap water to be so delicious.

“Want to bet?”

Another grunt. It was all he could muster. Sure, he would bet. He wouldn’t be doing any chores today regardless. Kimi was thinking about the stakes.

“If I got a better grade you do dishes, cleaning, and laundry for a month,” Fernando was about to protest, the longest a bet had run so far was two weeks. “...if you got a better grade I help you feel better.”

The look on his face apparently conveyed exactly the level of confusion he felt, because it was enough to make Kimi elaborate.

“The hangover.”

 

It was by a slim margin, but Fernando won and Kimi was the perfect flatmate for the rest of the day. While Fernando went back to bed the Finn left, and Fernando figured his version of helping someone with a hangover was simply ‘leave them alone’ (if he had been tasked with getting Kimi to feel better, he certainly would have). He soon heard him return home however, and a few minutes later he came into Fernando’s room without knocking.

“Eat.” He put two bananas on the bed. “Drink.” He put a large bottle of mineral water next to them. Then he left the room. Fernando was pleased and surprised and Kimi kept checking in on him throughout the day. A few hours later Fernando was feeling better, the pounding headache subsiding and the nausea disappearing completely. He took a shower but went back to bed after. Kimi had been so nice all day he almost felt guilty. He dug out some of the snacks he always kept in his room.

“Kimi?” he called, and the Finn soon opened the door. “You want to watch a movie?”

 

They sat next to each other on the bed, the laptop propped up on a chair so they could both see it. There was no small talk, but Fernando wasn’t very surprised. What did surprise him was how comfortable he felt sitting with Kimi. He had always liked getting cozy when he was hung over, and he moved closer mostly by reflex. The blonde didn’t move away though, rather he got comfortable too and put his hand on Fernando’s leg.

He just let it continue. It was all comfortable. It was comfortable to sit this close, it was comfortable when Kimi’s hand moved further up his leg, and it was comfortable when Kimi’s hand moved on to much more private areas. If Fernando had known there was any interest there, he might have made some sort of a move sooner. Not that he especially liked Kimi, but it wasn’t like willing men were falling into his lap. He closed his eyes and Kimi apparently took that as an invitation to go further still.

When Fernando was coming down, breathing hard with a warm, wet stain in his underwear and his leg-muscles thumping with the aftershocks of his release, Kimi extracted his hand.

“Feeling better?” he asked, his tone completely casual. He wiped his hand on the duvet. Fernando opened his eyes, cautiously looking over at him.

“Don’t get strange over this.” Kimi said when he caught Fernando looking. Fernando didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. He _was_ feeling better.

 

\--

 

The next assignment came and went and neither mentioned their bets. Kimi acted perfectly normal, the same as ever. Fernando didn’t know what to make of it but he had to admit that he had kind of wished the Finn would have brought up the bets again. Especially since Fernando would have won. Again.

Horner announced his next essay. Fernando came home one afternoon and found Kimi looking up something in a huge book in the kitchen.

“Research?”

The Finn grunted in the affirmative.

“Want to bet?” He bit his tongue as soon as the words were out. Kimi just looked up at him.

“What do you want if you win?” They hadn’t talked about their bets since that night. Fernando knew very well what he’d _like_ to ask for, but...

“...do not know.” It felt like the safest answer. He added a shrug, just to make sure it didn’t look like he _cared_ too much.

“Yes you do,” Kimi said with a little smirk. Fernando suddenly thought he rather missed the old, non-smirking, completely un-dangerous Kimi.

“Fine, yes,” he said, refusing to look at the other man, “is what I want.” His face was warm and he was sure his flatmate would laugh at him or something.

“Okay,” Kimi said, going back to his book. They were both quiet for a while, Kimi reading, Fernando just standing there.

“What if you win? What do you want?” It was only fair if they both had put bets down. Kimi smirked, but didn’t look up from his book.

“I am sure you can think of something.”

Fernando looked at him defiantly. Oh yes, he could think of something alright.

 

\--

 

It became the new go-to ante for their bets, and the bar kept slowly going up. While Kimi spoke freely, Fernando found that part of it a little more difficult. He was pretty sure the Finn sometimes suggested chores again, always with that annoying smirk, just to see him squirm. He almost always gave in and got the words out. No matter how embarrassed he felt it was worth it, whether he won or lost.

“Your confidence is really showing in this one,” Professor Wolff praised when he returned the assignment on tensile strength and the internal combustion engine. “No hesitation or speculation, and everything is referenced and supported... Very good work!”

Fernando was proud, and felt perfectly confident when he collected his winnings that night too. He couldn’t resist running his fingers through Kimi’s blonde hair, briefly taking hold of the strands, urging him on. The mouth around him was hot and wet, pure heaven, making every late night in the library worth it. The bet wasn’t the bonus any more, the grade was.

 

\--

 

“Is the last exam of the course,” Fernando said. He didn’t really know why he still bothered with trying to sound casual and flippant about it. Maybe because Kimi did. Then again he was pretty sure Kimi actually _was_ totally casual about it. The Finn only just looked up from his bowl of cereal.

“...you want to raise the bet?”

Fernando shrugged, the only response he ever really gave when Kimi smirked at him like that.

“Okay.” Kimi said and returned to his cereal. Fernando didn’t feel much like eating.

 

They both studied hard for the test, pulling all-nighters and looking up books and articles, doing their best to memorize formulas. Kimi studied alone but Fernando was in a study-group, the members of which grew increasingly concerned with his zeal as the test loomed closer. It wasn’t that he was afraid of losing; he wasn’t. He’d just be a lot more comfortable with winning.

The grades for the exam were posted on a notice-board and most of the class gathered around it as soon as they saw it. Fernando didn’t see Kimi in the group of students, but he couldn’t wait, he was much too excited to see the results. Making his way to the front he got close enough to look at the list.

His own name was high on the list, really high. The big, bold B was encouraging. The test had been very hard. He scanned down the list, first the rest of the B’s, then the C’s... but he didn’t see Kimi’s name. Could he have failed it? Just for safety, he found his own name again and scanned upward. In the middle of the few names above his, among the A’s, he found _Räikkönen, Kimi_.

“I am very pleased with that result,” a familiar monotone said from behind him. The feeling of stubborn unwillingness to admit defeat was mixed with a tingling sense of definitely being willing to pay up.

“Are you pleased with my results, Fernando?” He had never heard such cockiness in the Finn’s voice, but the patronizing pat on the head was _really_ taking it a bit too far.

“Fuck you.” Fernando said through clenched teeth. He turned around and wasn’t faced with the usual smirk, but rather an actual grin.

“No. Tonight, fuck _you_.”

 

\--

 

Fernando had to admit that he rather liked it. No, he _really_ liked it. Having Kimi to compete with spurred him on, made him put in the extra hours and go the extra mile for a higher grade. Not to mention the sex was really good too. Kimi spurred him on there as well, made him speak out loud what he wanted, pushed him to try things and test his limits. They soon sought each other out even when there was no test, no grade to compare, no bet. Still, their bets made for something just a little bit special.

Neither ever really submitted to the other but they both liked that; there was never any holding back, and if either pushed, the other would always push back rather than surrender. Even their fucking had an edge of competitiveness. Kimi would drag things out and take his time, and Fernando would act like his own release was all he was interested in (it wasn’t). Kimi would act bored and Fernando would be mocking, but they both knew it was mostly for show, to get the other to step up, to go even harder – so the favor could be returned the next time the other’s grades came out on top.

 

\--

 

“I got A.” Fernando said proudly, looking over his essay. They had agreed to not look before they got home, and he was happy with these results – he was on a winning streak that he didn’t feel much like breaking. He was just starting to think about what he could turn this A into when Kimi looked him up and down, a hint of a smile on his face. He walked over to where the Spaniard was standing but he didn’t stop, he took another step and forced Fernando to back up, right into the wall. Kimi wasn’t that much taller than him but Fernando still felt small.

“A+,” Kimi smirked, holding his graded essay. “I win.”

 

\--

 

... and that was how he found himself in Kimi’s bed, exhausted, his arms and legs feeling completely useless. His hair was damp with sweat, he felt a bit sticky all over and there was a familiar tenderness around his hips and rear. Kimi had been intent on reminding him that no winning streak lasted forever. Fernando didn’t mind. The bruises on his hips and thighs matched the ones on Kimi’s arms and the scratches on his back. They both gave as good as they got.

Still, he wasn’t falling asleep. Usually he was out like a light once they were finished, body and mind both feeling relaxed... it seemed Kimi had had no problems with it. But Fernando was thinking.

“Kimi?” He finally asked. There was a low mumble from the other side of the bed, but Kimi didn’t move.

“Kimi, do you..?”

“Yes I like you.” The tone was much more frustrated than liking. “Wouldn’t fuck you if I didn’t.”

Fernando didn’t know what to say. He liked Kimi. Well. Kind of. He liked how they drove each other to do better, and the sex was pretty great. If they were happy, did it really matter if they didn’t really... like each other? He took a breath and opened his mouth to speak again.

“Go to sleep.” Kimi grumbled, his hand searching over the bed until he found Fernando’s arm. He pulled the Spaniard closer and when he was satisfied he draped his arm over Fernando’s chest. It _was_ quite comfortable. Maybe things weren’t so complicated after all.

 

\- The End -

 

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual this was all in good fun!  
> Thanks for the read! :)


End file.
